During the 1993-94 program year, 75% of Arkansas' grade 7 through 12 students were enrolled in at least one vocational education (VE) course. Of those students, 52,847 were either academically disadvantaged, disabled, or limited English speaking. In addition, 15,940 and 8,008 students were enrolled in VE programs at Arkansas postsecondary…

During fiscal year 1994, 106,054 individuals were enrolled in secondary-level vocational education (VE) courses and 78,699 individuals were enrolled in postsecondary-level VE courses in Mississippi. Eight performance standards and core measures were developed and used to evaluate all VE programs in Mississippi. The percentages of the various types…

This guide, which is intended primarily for school and college personnel interested in initiating or improving work-based learning, examines the development and implementation of work-based education programs in Washington. The following topics are discussed: the rationale for work-based learning (legislative and educational change information,…

During fiscal year (FY) 1995, $20,933,342 in federal, $45,074,084 in state, and $84,449,547 in local funds were expended to support vocational education throughout Missouri. Enrollment in Missouri vocational education included 120,874 secondary students, 57,885 postsecondary students, and 101,914 adults. During FY 1995, work continued on the…

Since the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was enacted in 1998, considerable efforts have been expended at the federal, state, and local levels to effect the transition to the new system mandated by WIA. Several states phased into the new system in July 1999, and all other states followed in mid-2000. Active participation by partner agencies has…

The Duke Endowment launched its Child Abuse Prevention Initiative in 2002 by funding two program sites, the Durham Family Initiative in Durham, North Carolina, and Strong Communities in Greenville, South Carolina. Both sites aimed to reduce rates of child abuse, improve parenting practices and behaviors, strengthen community service systems, and…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a school-wide, integrative approach to instruction and intervention that provides a continuum of services to all students, both within general and special education. Further, RTI focuses on the frequent monitoring of student progress using formative and summative assessments, and providing students with…

This report describes the development of two British projects designed to increase support to persons paid to care for unrelated children in their homes, and to improve the quality of childminding. Informal Drop-In Centres offering stimulating play experiences for the children under the guidance of a trained playleader/community worker were…

A basic weakness of many national educational reports is that they focus on what is wrong with the education system and overlook how the schools can be improved. Research-based guidelines to be used in change efforts are offered. (DF)

To encourage a greater policy discussion of the complexities of implementing major school improvements on a large scale, this report (a) discusses the need to expand school improvement planning to address how schools and districts will accomplish necessary systemic changes, (b) outlines some basic considerations related to systemic change, and (c)…

As a growing number of schools and districts are found to be underperforming under the requirements of NCLB, school and district administrators are increasingly searching for research-based whole school improvement programs, including comprehensive school reform (CSR) models and education service providers (ESPs), in order to create dramatic…

Electronic performance support systems (EPSS) can accommodate disparate learner knowledge, experiences, and methods of comprehension. However, learners may have ineffective cognitive strategies for using an EPSS environment. The solution described in this article is applied to a Web-based EPSS that has a simulation core. As the learner works in…

State and local educators encountered both opportunities and obstacles in their first year of implementing the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In 2009, the ARRA, better known as the economic stimulus package, provided $3 billion for SIGs to help reform persistently low-achieving…

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) is a bold approach to improving student learning by encouraging teachers, parents, and the community to work collaboratively to introduce innovative projects that address local needs. Initiated in 1999 by the Alberta Government and its partners, AISI provides targeted funding to school…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates that "all" students, not just well-behaved and academically motivated students, make academic progress. Unfortunately, about 10% of students with chronic behavior problems make this goal difficult for themselves and others (Sprague & Walker, 2000; Sugai, 2000). The Positive Alternative Learning…